FAWESOME!

Castelli Gabba WS Rain Jersey

In the past year, Castelli released a rain jersey. Now this may seem contradictory, jerseys are not meant for rain, they're meant for beautiful sunny days. Rain capes, however, simply were not cutting it for the Cervélo Test Team (when they still existed) and Gabriel Rasch had the idea of making a form-fitting aero rain jersey. After the usual prototyping, Castelli has released the Gabba (Rasch's nickname) WS (wind stopper) Rain Jersey. Made from a new, stretchy gore-tex like material, the Gabba does not dissappoint. It managed to last miles through pouring rain, I only got wet after being thoroughly doused by a truck. Even after I was wet, the material insulated me so well I never caught a chill. The fit is second to none, if my normal race jersey fit as well as this does, I would be ecstatic. Now some of you may be hesitant to see that it has short sleeves, but I feel this only increases its versatility; add arm warmers if it's cold, when the pace picks up or the sun burns through, simply remove warmers and maybe unzip it a little. There is a long-sleeve version for simply colder days, but for mid-range temperatures from 7ºC-17ºC, the Gabba works perfectly. Below is the Fawesome vest, so named because it is Fucking Awesome (I'm not joking, that's what some of Castelli's workers thought when they were first trying it out, so the name stuck). Same fit and functionality as the jersey, but for slightly warmer temperatures, or perhaps harder efforts. Neither will keep you dry in prolonged (as in hours) downpours, but for wet roads and passing showers that so often come through Fife, I struggle to find a more suitable garment.

Castelli Fawesome Vest

Belgian Booties

Photo: Assos

Any product with "Belgian" as part of its name must be great, right? Well for one more day this hypothesis is held up by Belgian Booties, aka coversocks or oversocks. As simple as the latter two names imply, it really is just a big sock that goes over your shoes yet at the same time it does so much more. In those transitional temperature ranges of Spring and Autumn, Belgian booties provide the perfect extra layer of insulation. Think of them as the perfect complement to knee and arm warmers. While not windproof, they keep out the worst of the chills and I've found that paired with a decent set of wool socks they keep my feet warm to around 8ºC/46ºF, depending on intensity. They'll keep out some light road spray, as well as mud, dust, or dirt that usually covers the local roads. Durability is a minor issue, but if you can find a cheap enough pair you can just replace them when they've worn out too much to use. I was lucky enough to find a great pair from Assos (pictured above) deeply reduced, but Castelli among other brands make them. Or if you're particularly resourceful, you can re-use an old pair of huge socks, just cut a hole for the cleat and you're good to go. I love my pair, and there have been very, very few days in the temperature range when I've gone out for a ride without these. I would recommend them to any and everyone. Who likes having cold feet? Slipstream Sports Reiview. (While Garmin-Barracuda are sponsored by Castelli, everything they write in the review is true and much better written than my own).

Vittoria Open Pavè Evo CG Tires

Photo: bicycletires.com

Let me start by saying the roads surfaces in Scotland are horrendous, horrific, horrible, horrifying, hazardous, miserable, uncomfortable, primitive, and tire-eating. In some cases, I hesitate to even call the mapped paths roads they are so poor. That being said, I feel the Vittoria Open Evo Pavè's make the best of a bad situation. Developed on and for the brutal cobbles and roads of Northern Europe as well as the region's inclement weather, they have performed admirably in an extremely adverse environment. Potholes, rocks, broken pavement, and some phenomenon where the road appears to have a rash (the A917 just past the auto repair place is the best [or worst, in reality] example) had effectively eaten through my go-to racing and training tires, Michelin ProRace 3's. With winter coming, I decided to invest in a heavy-duty tire. While perhaps not as nuclear-bomb proof as something like Continental GatorSkins, the Vittoria's have some attributes none of those tires could ever hope for: feel, comfort, and suppleness. Without getting too technical, Vittoria makes their tires with the highest TPI on the clincher market, which means that they can get much more contact with the ground while still being soft enough to absorb bumps and vibration. They corner brilliantly, always steady, but when they do let go, they give you plenty of warning to let you correct and make sure you don't crash. With their tread I think they might even perform better in the wet: I have never felt like I was losing grip even on the rainiest of days. Pressure is always important in determining comfort, but at a range of pressures I feel these absorb much more of the awful roads than my former Michelin's did; their 24mm width might help slightly on that front. At the lower end of the pressure range (100/105 psi f/r, I weigh around 170 lbs) I glided over the Pavè du Market with significantly less discomfort than ever before. The Vittoria's also give you excellent flat protection, I received my first one ever today since buying these tires over 3 months ago. Tires are your bike's only contact point with the ground, for that reason alone I always believe in making a good investment when it comes to outfitting your wheels. The Vittoria's are expensive, if you can find them on sale online, they are well worth it. Even if you end up paying retail, the subliminal ride makes their value incalculable. Highly recommended. Official Site

Castelli NanoFlex

Photo: Castelli

The Castelli NanoFlex Warmers (Arm Warmer pictured above, but they produce a complete set) are truly remarkable pieces. Without getting into too much detail, a normal warmer, lycra on the outside and roubaix fleece on the inside, is treated with silicon nano-filaments to create a water repelling fabric. Rain and road spray just beads up on the outside and is then blown off by the wind. They won't keep you dry in a prolonged 3 hour downpour like a rain cape will but they work wonders in passing showers and on wet roads. I took out the knee warmers today and paired them with Castelli's also fabulous Claudio NanoFlex Thermal Bibshort. I was hesitant at first about thermal bibshorts: I just always assumed that if it was cold enough to need the fleece part, that i would inevitably need knickers or even tights. Not so, however, these bibs with embro or leg or knee warmers hits these transitional spring temperatures perfectly. More importantly, though is the fact that they are also constructed with NanoFlex, meaning that during today's halfway wet ride, they were bone dry. I know they could have taken a lot more water and stayed dry as well. I am extraordinarily happy with my full set of NanoFlex Warmers as well as my Claudio bibshorts and would highly recommend them to anyone riding in Scotland. It's impossible to always ride on dry roads in this country, you'd go out maybe twice a year. Since that is the case NanoFlex gets as many glowing stars as it needs to convince you to get them. Further reviews by competitivecyclist.com:

Warmers
Claudio Bibshort

Photo: Castelli

Castelli Nano Overshoes

Photo: Castelli

I recently bought these overshoes as my old rain pair began to fall apart. A silicon coated/polyurethane outer shell did a great job keeping the water out on a fairly wet day, this ride with Mark and Jamie. Paired with wool socks on the inside, they also kept me warm down to about 40ºF (5ºC). Can't ask for much else from overshoes. On slightly more subjective grounds, they do aid aerodynamics and look quite fantastic. The downside is that they do feel fragile: I put them on with care and cringe when I scrape them accidentally against ground or pedals. I also had to order a whole size up as the claimed size would not zip all the way up. Castelli clothing is often a little on the pricier side (not like Assos or Rapha) but it is easy to find these on sale online, in which case they are great value, however, I think you should look elsewhere if you want your first pair of overshoes; a heavy duty neoprene would be a little more suited to the day-in, day-out wear and tear caused by having to wear overshoes most days. As a 2nd pair or a rain pair, I would be hard pressed to find a better pair of overshoes and would highly recommend these to anyone. (Photo: Castelli). Official Site

Welcome!

Hello, All!
This is the place where I plan to put clothing reviews by everyone, gear recommendations for incoming students, people's dream bikes, and anything else technical related.  This is NOT going to become a SRAM v. Shimano v. Campagnolo blog; if there are going to be groupset reviews there will be no "mudslinging." People are entitled to their opinions.